Virtual Lab Manual

Conservation of Energy
(Principles): Unleash the roller
coaster's potential
Synopsis
This is the principles (high school) version of the simulation. For a more advanced version
please see: “Conservation of Energy: Improve the Labster Roller Coaster”

Stay seated and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle! In this simulation, you will learn
about energy conservation, potential energy, and kinetic energy, and use physics to improve
our roller coaster track.

Design a new roller coaster

Familiarize yourself with the equations for potential and kinetic energy, and use our test
track to see how they can be applied to roller coasters. Then, use those equations and the
principle of energy conservation to find out how to make our roller coaster go as fast as you
can.

Experiment with potential, kinetic, and mechanical energy

Students will become comfortable with the components of the formulas for potential and
kinetic energy. Then, they will calculate the energy of our roller caster car in multiple
situations, and figure out how energy is transformed from one type into other. Students will
have the freedom to experiment with different masses of vehicles at each height to
determine how height and mass influence the potential energy at the start of the ride and
the mechanical energy of the system, and observe how these impact speed once the car is
released.

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This high school adaptation takes into account the mathematical proficiency of younger
students, relying on simpler calculations and qualitative reasoning.

Hold on fast!
After exploring and manipulating different kinds of energy and energy conversion and
conservation, students will think critically and apply their knowledge to a design and
engineering problem: How can you make the ride reach 100 km/h?

Learning Objectives
At the
end of this simulation, you will be able to…
●Define potential and kinetic energy
●Define mechanical energy
●Use the principle of the conservation of energy and its mathematical expression to
predict the behavior of a body
● Make changes to a system to alter the total mechanical energy of a moving body and
examine how kinetic and potential energies change as the body moves through the
system.

Theory
Potential Energy
Potential energy is the energy an object has due to its position relative to other objects or
stresses within itself, among other factors.

One common example of potential energy is gravitational potential energy near Earth's
surface. It is the energy an object has due to its relative position above the Earth's center.
Gravitational potential energy, as shown by the formula below, is the product of mass (m),
gravitational acceleration (g, on Earth = 9.8 m/s2), and height (h). Potential energy is
measured in joules (kg·m2/s2).

EP = m g h

Together, potential energy and kinetic energy make up mechanical energy.

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Figure 4: Potential and Kinetic Energy

Kinetic Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work
necessary to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to a given velocity. Kinetic energy,
as shown by the formula below, is one-half the product of mass (m) and velocity squared
(v2). Kinetic energy is measured in joules (kg·m2/s2).

EK = ½ m v2

For example, when a rock containing potential energy due to being high on a cliff falls, the
potential energy is converted into kinetic energy while the rock falls to the ground.
Similarly, when a car is on a highway, the chemical energy in the car's fuel is being
converted to kinetic energy resulting in the car's motion. Any moving body maintains a
constant kinetic energy as long as the speed does not change. Together, potential energy
and kinetic energy make up mechanical energy.

Mechanical Energy
Mechanical energy is the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy.

EM = EP + EK

Thus, a transformation of kinetic energy into potential energy (or the other way around) does
not alter the mechanical energy of a system.

Mechanical energy is not the same as total energy, since there are other types of energy
besides kinetic and potential.

Energy Conservation and Conversion

Energy is a conserved quantity; it cannot be created or destroyed. Thus, the total amount of
energy in the Universe is always the same. Yet, energy can pass from one system to another
and change from one type of energy into another.

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There are many types of energy: kinetic energy in a moving object, thermal energy in a fire,
chemical energy in batteries, gravitational potential energy, energy in the water at the top of a
waterfall, elastic potential energy in a drawn bow just before firing an arrow…. The total
amount of energy in a system is the sum of all the types of energy in it.

Energy conservation does not mean that any of those particular types of energy is conserved.
Energy can change from one type to another. For example, when a ball speeds up as it falls,
pulled down by gravity, its gravitational potential energy changes into kinetic energy. When a
wind turbine uses the moving wind to generate electricity, it transforms the kinetic energy of
the wind into electrical energy.

Energy conservation also does not mean that the total energy of any particular system is
conserved. Energy can move from one system into another. For example, if a billiard ball that
is moving pushes another ball and makes it move, the first ball is giving some of its kinetic
energy to the second ball. Only the total energy of isolated systems is conserved.

Energy is a scalar quantity. Its unit in the IS is the Joule (kg·m2/s2).

Friction
When a body is in motion, it often experiences resistance because the body interacts with its
surroundings. Consider the case of sliding down a sandy hill compared to an icy mountain.
The resistance you experience from the sand is a force of friction. You can read more about
the microscopic phenomena of forces responsible for this difference.

Friction opposes relative motion between systems in contact. Friction is a common yet
complex force. The direction of the friction is always opposite that of motion, parallel to the
surface between objects, and perpendicular to the normal force. An object can experience
both static and kinetic friction.

International System of Units (SI Units)

Number-loving people all over the world want to communicate and compare their numbers
with each other. This requires everyone expressing measurements using similar units. The
International System of Units is the most widely used system of measurement and was
developed so that measurements could be compared between different disciplines.

There are seven base SI units based on invariant constants in nature, such as the speed of
light in a vacuum. The seven SI units are: second (s) for time, meter (m) for length, kilogram
(kg) for mass, ampere (A) for electric current, kelvin (K) for temperature, mole (mol) for
amount of substance, and candela (cd) for luminous intensity.

These base units can be combined to create a variety of derived units for measurements of
diverse quantities such as force measured in newtons (N = kg·m/s2) and energy measured in
joules (J = kg·m2/s2).

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Joules
Joules are the SI unit for energy. They were named after James Prescott Joule for his work
on thermal energy and use the capital letter J. One joule represents one kg·m2/s2. The
formulae for different types of energy include different variables, however, they can all
result in energy being measured in joules (kg·m2/s2).

For example, the formula for potential energy is EP = m g h and this results in joules by the
following logic:
EP = mass x gravity x height
EP = 10 kg x 9.8 m/s2 x 20 m (SI units)
EP = 1960 kg ms/s2
EP = 1960 J
Another example, the formula for kinetic energy is EK = 1/2 m v2 and this results in joules
by the following logic:

EK = 1/2 x mass x velocity2

EK = 1/2 x 300 kg x (40 m/s)2 (SI units)
EK = 1/2 x 300 kg x (40 m/s)2
EK = 240 000 kg ms/s2
EK = 240 000 J

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